User Collections Blog entry

blog/2025-12-14-user-collections/index.md

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+---
+title: User Collections
+slug: user-collections
+date: 2025-12-14T15:26
+authors: [ bpepple ]
+tags: [ comic, metron, collections ]
+---
+# Introducing User Collections: Track Your Comic Book Collection with Metron
+
+I've spent the last week or so, implementing **User Collections**, a feature for Metron that lets you catalog, organize, and track your personal comic book collection. 
+
+## What is User Collections?
+
+User Collections is a comic book collection management system.
+
+## Key Features
+
+### 📚 Complete Cataloging
+
+Track every aspect of your collection:
+- **Quantity tracking** for duplicate copies
+- **Format support** (Print, Digital, or Both)
+- **Professional grading** (CGC, CBCS, PGX) or self-assessed grades
+- **Purchase details** including date, price, and store
+- **Storage locations** to help you find your comics
+- **Personal notes** for each item
+
+### ⚡ Bulk Operations
+
+Adding your entire collection is fast and efficient:
+- **Add entire series runs** in seconds with the "Add from Series" feature
+- **Specify issue ranges** to add specific portions of a series
+- **Automatic duplicate detection** prevents adding the same issue twice
+- **Smart defaults** for format and reading status when adding multiple issues
+
+### 📊 Statistics & Analytics
+
+Get insights into your collection:
+- **Total items and value** tracking
+- **Reading progress** (read vs. unread counts)
+- **Format breakdown** with visual charts
+- **Publisher distribution** to see where your collection focuses
+- **Top 10 series** by item count
+- **Series type analysis** (ongoing, mini-series, etc.)
+
+### 🔍 Smart Gap Detection
+
+Helps you complete your series runs:
+- **Missing Issues list** shows series where you own some but not all issues
+- **Color-coded progress bars** (red/yellow/green) indicate completion percentage
+- **Detailed missing issue views** list exactly which issues you need
+- **Completion statistics** help you prioritize which series to finish
+
+### ⭐ Reading Tracker & Ratings
+
+Track your reading journey:
+- **Mark issues as read** with date tracking
+- **5-star rating system** for personal recommendations
+- **Quick rating** via HTMX (no page reload required)
+- **Filter by reading status** to find unread comics
+
+### 🔐 Privacy First
+
+Your collection is completely private:
+- **Login required** for all collection features
+- **No public sharing** (unlike reading lists)
+- **Owner-only access** ensures only you can view/edit your items
+
+## How It Works
+
+### Adding Individual Issues
+
+Navigate to `/collection/add/` and search for any issue using the autocomplete feature. Fill in optional details like grade, purchase price, storage location, and click "Add to Collection."
+
+### Bulk Adding from Series
+
+Visit `/collection/add-from-series/` to quickly add entire series runs:
+1. Select a series
+2. Choose to add all issues or specify a range (e.g., #1-50)
+3. Set default format and reading status
+4. Click "Add Issues"
+
+The system automatically skips issues already in your collection, making it perfect for cataloging longboxes or digital libraries.
+
+### Finding Missing Issues
+
+The Missing Issues feature (`/collection/missing/`) identifies gaps in your series runs:
+- See completion percentages for each series
+- Click "View Missing" to see specific issue numbers
+- Use these lists when shopping for back issues
+- Track your progress toward completing series
+
+## Powerful Filtering
+
+Find exactly what you're looking for with extensive filtering options:
+- **Series name, publisher, or imprint**
+- **Grade and grading company**
+- **Format (print/digital/both)**
+- **Reading status and ratings**
+- **Storage location or purchase store**
+- **Combine multiple filters** for precise searches
+
+## Technical Highlights
+
+Built on Django with:
+- **CGC grading scale** with 27 grade levels (0.5 to 10.0)
+- **Money field support** for accurate purchase price tracking
+- **HTMX integration** for seamless rating updates
+- **Chartkick visualizations** for statistics
+- **Optimized queries** with proper indexes for performance
+- **Unique constraints** prevent duplicate entries
+- **RESTful API** available at `/api/collection/`
+
+## Use Cases
+
+**For Completionists**: Use Missing Issues to systematically fill gaps in your series runs. Color-coded progress bars show which series you're close to completing.
+
+**For Investors**: Track purchase prices and grades for valuable books. Monitor total collection value and maintain detailed records for insurance.
+
+**For Readers**: Mark issues as read, rate them, and track your progress. Filter to find unread comics in your collection.
+
+**For Organizers**: Use storage locations to keep track of where comics are physically stored. Perfect for managing multiple longboxes or storage units.
+
+## Mokkari
+
+A new release of [Mokkari](https://github.com/Metron-Project/mokkari) will be made this week with support for the user collections API endpoints.
+
+## Possible Future Enhancements
+
+**More Import Options**: When I get some time, I'll look at adding support for importing existing collections. If you track your collection elsewhere I'd be interest what export options you have, so please contact me.
+
+**Wish List**: A logical addition would be to have the option for make a wish list of issues to purchase.
+
+**Pull List**: Another closely related feature that could be useful.
+
+**Comic Value**: It would be interesting to be able to provided estimated market values for issues.